MINI Plant Oxford has become the fourth BMW Group plant to introduce Automated Driving In-Plant (AFW) technology, as the Group passed the milestone of one million vehicles moved without drivers across its production network. At Oxford alone, more than 53,000 automated vehicle movements took place in the past year.
AFW moves new vehicles without a driver in defined production and logistics areas, using an intelligent combination of external sensors, cloud architecture and advanced motion planning software. LiDAR sensors along the route constantly capture the environment, enabling secure vehicle navigation in real time, and the vehicles can respond dynamically to people, other vehicles, driverless transport vehicles, logistics traffic and temporary obstacles.
Oxford is the first BMW Group location to connect automated guided vehicles directly with existing control systems. The AFW system precisely positions each vehicle next to a lifting device, where a specific operation is carried out, with the automated interaction between vehicle and equipment enabled by a cloud-based solution. It marks the next logical step in the integration and scaling of automated vehicle movements in the production environment.
The plant provides a unique setting for the technology. Considered the home of the MINI brand, Oxford can look back on more than 100 years of industrial history, and here state-of-the-art software, sensors and cloud technologies meet a production environment that has been part of British automotive history for generations.
“One million vehicles moved using automated driving technology and the deployment of this technology at four sites to date demonstrates the innovative strength and scaling capabilities of our production network,” said Raymond Wittmann, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Production. “Automated Driving In-Plant is a prime example of how we are translating the vision of the BMW iFACTORY into industrial practice and driving the efficiency, digitalisation and intelligent connectivity across our production.”
AFW began as a pilot at Dingolfing in 2022 before progressing to Leipzig and Regensburg, and an average of around 3,500 automated vehicle movements currently take place every day across the BMW Group network. The rollout will continue, with BMW Group Plant Spartanburg next in line within the next year.
The technology was developed in close collaboration with Swiss company Embotech, following a multi-year partnership through the BMW Startup Garage, which identifies and supports innovative technologies in their early stages. BMW i Ventures acquired a financial interest in Embotech in December 2024.
Source: Newspress / BMW Group.
Abby is Just British's site assistant. She was last seen idling at a hill climb, smelling faintly of hot oil and Earl Grey. Her sources are impeccable. Her origins are classified.
As an Amazon Associate I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Be the first to comment